The following is a letter by Shaykh Rashid Ahmad Gangohi addressed to Shaykh Haji Imdadullah.

“Your honour has deigned to ask this undeserving servant of yours about his spiritual condition. Oh my shelter in both worlds! What am I? And what is my spiritual state? What goodness do I possess to present before your illuminating sun of perfection? By Allah I am ashamed! I am nothing! But since thou hast commanded, I have no choice but to comply.

My esteemed preceptor and guide, so far as the externals of religion are concerned, during the last seven years or so of my absence from your blessed companionship, more than two hundred students have received ijāza in hadith from this humble servant. Most of these students have opened their own institutions for the teaching of hadith and have devoted themselves to the revival of the Sunnah of the blessed Prophet [Allah bless him and give him peace] and propagating the dīn. I deem it to be the greatest honour if it be accepted by Allah.

As for the fruits of inner perfections gleaned from my spiritual association with your august self, I state in brief:

1. From the depths of my heart I take no thought from receiving any harm or benefit from anything other than Allah, that at times, by Allah, I feel detached from my Shaykhs;

2. I am not concerned with the praise or blame of anyone, considering my state far from being praiseworthy or blameworthy;

3. I have developed a natural abhorrence of sin and a natural inclination towards devotion;

I owe all these to the exalted divine presence I have attained through your illustrious niche. It would be impudent and audacious of me to delve further on this subject.

Oh Allah forgive me! I have written this in compliance of my Shaykh. I am a liar. I am nothing. These are your favours. You alone exist. What am I? A non-entity! I owe my existence to you. I am because You will me to be so. To think in terms of ‘you’ and ‘I’ is also shirk amongst shirk!